For more than three decades, the Honda Celebration of Light has drawn hundreds of thousands to Vancouver’s waterfront, turning English Bay into one of the world’s most spectacular outdoor stages. This summer, for the first time, a Metro Vancouver family took on an unusual role in the competition: official judges.
The initiative, created by Concord Pacific Developments to mark its 25th year as the longest-running corporate sponsor, gave one multi-generational household its seat at the table. The winning family, selected through a community draw, joined the official panel responsible for evaluating the artistry, synchronization, and design of the fireworks displays.
For the chosen family, the Michauds from downtown Vancouver, the experience meant more than front-row views from the Concord Pacific grandstand. In addition to food and beverage service and VIP access, they received a behind-the-scenes tour of the fireworks barge before the first show launched.
“This is really special,” Lisa Michaud said in an interview. “It’s the kind of thing that money can’t buy. It’s been something that we’ve been looking forward to ever since we got the call, and it feels very once-in-a-lifetime.”
The family’s vote was counted equally alongside those of judges who have contributed for years, giving them a direct hand in deciding which Canadian team would take home the 2025 Celebration of Light title.
Unlike in previous years, when three countries were selected to compete for the international title, this year, to honour Canada’s newfound ‘elbows up’ energy, the competition was All-Canadian, with teams from three provinces battling it out for the title.
The Michauds, along with their seven-year-old daughter, deliberated alongside a city councillor, a Park Board commissioner, journalists, and corporate sponsors to determine the winner. The jury awarded Team Fireworks FX from Nova Scotia the Judge’s Competition Award over teams from Yukon and Quebec.
The Honda Celebration of Light remains one of Vancouver’s defining civic events, bringing together generations of residents and visitors to share in three nights of music, food, and fireworks. Concord Pacific Developments, led by CEO Terry Hui, has been associated with the Celebration of Light since the late 1990s. While known primarily as Canada’s largest master-planned community builder, the company has long treated the event as part of its civic commitments, alongside other Vancouver traditions such as the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival and the Tour de Concord cycling event.
This year, by handing over its jury seat to a family, Concord shifted its sponsorship away from corporate visibility and toward direct community participation. Hui described the initiative as a way to honor the role of families in Vancouver’s civic life. “It’s inspiring to see children weigh in — their instincts are often the sharpest,” said Hui. As builders of community for generations, we can clearly see that the future belongs to them!”
The Honda Celebration of Light has always been about more than fireworks. It is a gathering point for the city, one of the rare moments when residents across cultures, ages, and neighborhoods come together on the sand and seawall to look up at the same sky.
By giving an ordinary family an extraordinary role in this summer’s event, Concord Pacific Developments reflected that same spirit of inclusion. One household may have cast a single vote, but they did so on behalf of thousands of Vancouverites who make the festival part of their summer tradition year after year.
